To the editor:

It seems I owe Shauna Tully an apology for my letter rebutting her letter of Nov. 8.

I apologize, Ms Tully, for you not recognizing my agreement with Mr. Tappert’s decision to boycott a restaurant he feels over-charged him. I wouldn’t darken their door again either. I also apologize for you not being familiar with the term “McMansion.”

And I apologize for not realizing that price-gouging was the thesis of your letter because you skewered so many things in it, including all the merchants on the island, that I thought it prudent to address the single issue of inflated home prices.

I don’t doubt you have found some differences in food prices between on- and off-island stores. I too have found differences between stores right here on the island. My husband purchased a pack of cigarettes at one store on the South End for a price that nearly gave me a stroke. However, that price was not indicative of the prices for cigarettes elsewhere on the South End, and he won’t be buying cigarettes there again.

You stated in your original letter that you were able to purchase groceries for about $150 that would have cost you $300 here on the island. Again, forgive me if I have the exact amounts a bit off, but I remember that the price difference was enormous, and you were talking about groceries, not other commodities. If you were shopping at Costco, I’d cry “foul” for sure because who can beat the price of mayonnaise by the gallon? They’re my haven of good prices as well. Was it Wal-Mart? I agree that you can find a lot of really cheap stuff there.

The problem for me, Ms Tully, is not that you disagree with the grocery prices on the island, but that you haven’t provided enough evidence for me to make an educated judgment to curtail shopping at local grocery stores. Make up a spreadsheet comparing the everyday prices for a number of staples on a specific date at all of the island grocery stores and the stores on the other side and we’ll talk. Factor in the cost of gas, the cost of ferry fare both ways, the cost of taking dependent children along, and include the cost of feeding those children while on the other side.

Factor in the cost of time spent in the ferry line, especially for those who would only be able to do their off-island shopping on the weekends because they work here.

I will defend to the death your right to start a grassroots effort to reduce grocery prices here on the island by boycotting any stores you feel are gouging you. I will also defend your right to continue to disagree with me in the newspaper.

Antoinette Grove

Langley